The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) continues to emphasize food security in Nigeria, especially in the Niger Delta, with a $60 million war chest. On a visit to one of their centers in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State on Christmas eve, the high cost of feed for fish emerged as a major challenge for the incubates.
The testimony of George Wongifi Awu from the Ofoni region of Yenagoa showed that fish farming has great potential but some critical points in the process need to be addressed.
Aavu was one of those passive youth until he got a call from someone he calls his leader that some people were coming to their community. They were from the Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprise Project in the Niger Delta (LIFE-ND).
He said: “They came and gathered a lot of crowd at the community square. They gave us some forms, we filled them and fortunately, my name was included in it. That's how I became an incubatee in the LIFE-ND programme.
“It was two years ago, but my training lasted about two months. I decided to stay longer to progress.
“Upon graduation, I was given some capital as a teenager and a starter pack and some fodder; N1000, 50 bags of feed and N200,000 to continue shopping.”
Also read: LIFE-ND agricultural projects in Akwa Ibom raise hopes for IFAD intervention in Nigeria's food security drive
Success Story:
The fatherless youth said he suffered early losses due to his father's death, as well as limited education. “My incubator (boss), Mrs. Juliet Amakoromo, brought me close to her like a son and showed me the way, especially in marketing. I had to face the death of 50 birds.
“I worked hard and with the money, I decided to stock more. I am right there. I have done two cycles. I feed them to table size and the market people come to collect them. I spent N375,000 and sold N980,000. You need to be adept in the business to stock abundantly. So, I am taking it slowly.”
challenge:
“Due to the high cost of fodder, I lost up to 35% due to poor feed. We also have water quality problems due to the pH of the water. There is a lot of iron in the water in this part of the city.
“My stock is neither increasing nor decreasing. I am trying to maintain what I have. I am fatherless and I try to support my mother. She also farms.”
background:
The LIFE-ND project is jointly funded by the Federal Government through a loan from IFAD, with additional support from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and matching funds from participating state governments.
The nine participating states are: Abia, Bayelsa, Cross River, Edo, Delta, Ondo (funded by IFAD), and Akwa-Ibom, Imo and Rivers States (funded by NDDC). Notably, the headquarters of the project is located in PH.
